A group of churchgoers are raising money to fix their church’s door following a break in when money was stolen from the donations box.

Last year, there was a total of three thefts and one serious break-in at the historic St George’s Church on Portland.

As a result, the church’s south-facing doors were left damaged and twisted beyond repair.

Jeff Proctor of the Guides and Volunteers of St George’s Church is leading the fundraising campaign.

According to Mr Proctor, the doors opened electronically before the incident, but they now need to be opened manually by church guides and volunteers.

He says this has had an impact on the amount of donations the church receives.

He explained: “Let’s assume the automatic system was still working, then the doors would open at around 10am and close at around 5.30pm.

“That is plenty of time for visitors to come and have a look around the church, and we encourage them to make a donation and leave a comment. But now we’re relying on a three-lock system and have a rota for the church’s guides to unlock it in the morning and in the evening. We’re quite an elderly group, which means people sometimes arrive later in the day to open the church, which means we lose out, so it’s costing us.”

He added: “Due to unsatisfactory opening and closing arrangements, we are finding that our visitor numbers and subsequent donations are down by 40 per cent. We therefore conclude that replacement is our only viable option. St George’s church is one of the flagship churches in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. We are a group of elderly people who care for this church and although we are seeking funds from outside resources, we are doing all we can ourselves to make a significant contribution to our cause.”

Mr Proctor says that he has written to local businesses to try and gather their support. He has also launched a crowdfunding page on the website www.justgiving.com

To donate money to help fix the church doors visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jilljeff-proctor-2 Make a donation in person by contacting Mr Proctor on 01305 860262.